My husband and I came here with our Puerto Rican friend today, and it was my husband and I's first time having Puerto Rican food. Our friend raved about how everything on the menu here, in her opinion, is delicious. Everything was extremely affordable, and we ended up ordering a few appetizers and obviously the jibarito + rice. This restaurant has been around for 23+ years, and there was a long line for a table and for their appetizers to go. For appetizers, we ordered alcapurrias, relleno de papa, lechón asado, carne frita, pescado frito, and bacalaitos (we were too excited to try everything as soon as it came to our table, so I didn't get pictures of the appetizer). We got the jibarito in steak and chicken, so we were able to try more than one protein -- I personally prefer the steak. For beverages, we got the large passion fruit juice, cola champagne, and our friend ordered a Malta. All of our food for 3 people + tax came out to just over $55. That's a steal in my opinion, for Chicago standards. I highly recommend coming here for some authentic Puerto Rican food, and we also met our friend's friend -- whose mom owns the restaurant! read more

Ponce Restaurant - El Jibarito (Steak) - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I was very disappointed for a Puerto Rican restaurant to carry a name like Ponce and be this disgusting especially when I was introducing my friend to Puerto Rican cuisine. I went by for lunch and it was empty yet, I and a couple in front of me were standing there looking around while two employees stood at the corner talking. Finally, the cashier/waiter came over and told us to sit anywhere. We sat down and again had to wait to get menus. In fact, I got up and asked for one. He then took menus to the other table first and then brought menus to my table. He didn't bring us water, I had to ask for it. Just a poor experience, not attentive at all. Puerto Rican restaurants are known for their El Jibaritos, so I ordered one for me and one for my friend. He brought mines, with fried plantain, yet he brought my American Friend regular bread sandwich saying that I said one Jibarito sandwich?! As a waiter, I would of verified being that Jibaritos are technically sandwiches just not with plain bread and instead with fried plantains. Found it interesting how he brought one of each. As far as the food, as I said completely dissatisfied. It was bland, no flavor, and the banana alcapurrias were the most disgusting and disgraceful PR fritter I've had in my life. No sabōr at all! I ordered the banana one and the yucca one and asked him was it just yucca and banana and he said yes. When it came and I bite it, it had meat - on top of being the most flavorless thing in the world. On the menu, they have no vegetarian option for the Jibarito sandwiches. So I asked for one with no meat. Whet I got was the Jibarito with lettuce, tomato and onion. After sending the fitters back, we waited. We waited and finally we got up to go pay and leave. He charged me for the regular meat price for the no meat Jibarito sandwich and for the fritter I sent back. Just a poor experience. Will never go back considering Ponce is on a street with about 5 more other PR restaurants. read more

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Don't know if it was grub hub or ponce but my food came sloppy and for the money I paid it was unacceptable. read more

Ponce Restaurant - Like why ? - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Absolutely the worst customer service ever provided . This has been our go to spot since I can remember. My wife did an online order on what ever app this restaurant uses for their personal online ordering. Our original order was 4 Alcapurrias 1 pastelillo 1 jibarito dinner 1 lechón dinner 2 chuleta can can dinners 1 order of maduros 1 parcha We picked up the order in two bags thinking it was all our food When we got home we found out bout Order was missing 1 chuleta can can dinner 3 alcapurrias We immediately called and were told kitchen was close and they don't know what happen . That the online app thing they use doesn't give them the exact quantity of each item ordered which I find strange . She said she can leave a note for the owner to review and that we could stop in for a refund . Here we are on a Sunday afternoon trying to get a refund to find out they can't give me a refund because the owner is not here . So either they can make the food I wasn't given last night or hit the highroad. This is very disappointing to see from an establishment that has been serving this community for so many years and made them who they are today ! Wish the girl that took my order last night was woman enough to give me her name after I called and asked about my missing items. Definitely will not be coming back here read more

Always good well prepared food. Great service. Clean restaurant. Made some major improvements inside the restaurant. I had fried pork chops with White rice and beans. I also had the alcapurrias which are very delicious. The fried plantains were ripe and sautéed and mouthwatering. Will definitely be back. Just wish I lived closer. read more

Ponce Restaurant - Fried pork chops with white rice and beans. - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Went to an event catered by Ponce and all of the food was outstanding! I don't usually eat hot sauce or sauces but one of the homemade Ponce sauces looked great, so I tried it and was really impressed. The Ponce staff was friendly, knowledgeable, answering my questions about the food and ingredients. Can't wait to go to the restaurant and have these items again! read more

I have been a patron of Ponce for many years. The pasteles are amazing, the bacalaito, and piononos (whenever they're not sold out). My family has celebrated birthdays and many family dinners. Though the service has never been extraordinary, the food was always worth going back for. However, my most recent visit changed everything. ... My fellow friend and I walked in to celebrate her birthday, as three young women were walking out at 8:15pm. They were saying the staff refused to serve them. Surely it was a mistake because there was 45 min before closing. We still walked in and waited to be greeted. Minutes passed and no one acknowledged us. I walked up to the register and asked if we could order. I was ignored. Another young lady walked in showing her phone for a pick-up and her request was fulfilled. I again asked if anyone could help us, and crickets. Well, "perhaps the manager could help us", I said. "I'm the manager," the young man standing there all along said. "Excuse me, we've been standing here asking for your help, but I see that you don't want to serve us." And so we left, never to come back again, sadly. I understand food runs out, that staff is short, and that the phone won't stop ringing, but this can be communicated kindly and efficiently. However, ignoring your customers and essentially turning them away, is not okay. read more

Catered for a retirement party. Order was packed with extreme care. Food was delicious! Will definitely cater again. read more

Mask mandate, Whatchu talking' bout Willis? Just one of many workers without mask. Lori Lightfoots mandates are are joke with no enforcement or monitoring read more

Ponce Restaurant - Mask mandate, Whatchu talking' bout Willis? Just one of many workers without - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Catered for 100 and had it delivered. The food was on point! Lechon, arros con gondules, yucca, pollo guisado and gineos where amazing! Delivered on time, fresh and hot! Thank you Ponce! read more

The way they work is totally bs i drove 40 min from the south side & they refused to give me a table only because i was by myself they dont have any tables for a single person & it was not even busy read more

The food here is always FIRE...I gotta drive an hour there and an hour back when we grab Ponce. The staff have never messed up our order, everything is always in the bags. Love the ambiance and professional custumer service here and would recommend you try one of everything on the menu, at least once. read more

Food is very good and fresh I love the jibarito with the fresh garlic also can never go wrong with Puerto Rican rice.

the worst service ever we ordered our food never got it, and when we call to complain the person phone did care and would not gave us the driver Julio ph number. and he would not help with a refund. don't order from them! read more

Had many different things on the menu such as the soup which was amazing, maduros are sweet and a great choice if you enjoy banana, the Alcapurrias are delicious and one of the best things to order before the meal comes. I enjoyed the jibarito and the Puerto Rican rice hits home. Such great food!! read more

Decided to give this restaurant a try during these trying times. Rarely do restaurants deliver to my neighborhood so I was very happy to see that they were close by and had a delivery option. I've ordered twice already! Very delicious jibaritos, corn fritters, and maduros. This is our go-to Puerto Rican spot from now on. Thanks Ponce! read more

I usually order to pick up and the service is great n friendly and food is Great...once in a while some dishes will be a little salty But Not bad at all overall. Ponce, Thank you for good food n service y Que Viva Puerto Rico! read more

When I come here, it always meets my expectations. I love the sorullos. It's definitely something that brings childhood memories. The Tembleque is amazing! They're pretty quick with the order and there's enough space to sit where you'd like. Of course when it isn't the weekend. Every time I visit Chicago, I come here. Instead of ordering online, you gotta come inside and eat the food! It's very good read more

The worst customer service, their food is good but I think they lack customer service, they think just because people love their food they could treat people the way they do. It's because of your customers that you have income and a place of business, don't be so cocky and full of yourselves. They never pick up their phone line, they offer online ordering and somehow always have an excuse as to why your order is not ready. read more

I've been going to Ponce for years...the last 2x eating from Ponce was garbage...rice was hard..food lacked Puerto Rican food seasoning/flavor..chicken tasted old.....not to mention customer service even worst...I'm not going back read more

AMAZING FOOD. The people are so nice and thoughtful. Number one go to spot! You wont regret eating here. Trust.

I had to wait for 40 minutes to be seated, then another 40 minutes to be waited then another 40 for my food, ones the good got to the table, my wife ordered verdura with fish, she got a half of bag of fish, I mean they gave her to much of fish and no verduras, I got a steak which it was raw and tue mofongo was not soft and it was sweet like the plantains wasn't a green enough, they didn't give us silverware's to eat, I had to ask for them, ones I got the silverware's to eat I didn't have dressing for the salads... I will never ever come here again... it was a time and money... read more

Love this place. One of the best Puerto Rican Restaurants in Chicago . Food can't take very long some times but that because they are super busy . My favorite it's Jibarito sandwich with chicken with arroz con gandules it's a must try . I can't stress enough that it's a must try , also tostones are delicious, alcapurrias, relleno de papa read more

The is just ok The service is bad to put it nicely. Will not return, there are lots of places with much better food, and much less attitude. The owners should know , the ambiance is equally as important as the comida. our table was so wobbly it felt like eating on a ship, when we mentioned it they suggested eating outside in the cold, great service, not! read more

I literally came in with my daughter this evening. About 10min to be seated and about 30min to 40min still nobody has come to great us or even water was given. This place has fell off! Service is terrible. read more

My new go to spot for everything Puerto Rican Food and service is awesome great prices!! read more

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They denied my refund after leaving my catering order out at room temperature until it got spoiled, and it was pork! I called 9 times to let them know I would pick up on a different time and nobody pick up the phone. No one called me to let me know the order was ready and waiting for my seating out by the counter. The owner was rude and didn't listen to anything I said. I can't trust this. I used to order pork for Christmas here for the whole family and friends, won't do it again neither my family. read more

Great food! Everything I had was very delicious and tasty Pinchos, tostones, rice, pinchos, toztones y morcilla y bacalaitos... Yummminess read more

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We love the food from here, but the customer service leaves much to be desired. We ordered delivery last Friday at 6:30. The website says delivery will take a maximum of 55 mins. I started calling at 7:40 and got no answer every time I called. I saw they closed at 8, and we were starting to rethink dinner when they finally dropped the food off. Then, we were missing items from our order! One of our friends had no entree. Of course, calling did nothing because they were closed. I called the next day and was told that a manager had to give me a refund, but there was none there. I was told they would the next day. It has been a full week and I still have not received a refund. I tried to call back again today and there was no answer once again. We are sad that although we enjoy the food, the customer service is terrible. read more

If you want to eat good Puerto Rican food, then Ponce is a good place to do it. We came here and the waiting was just around 5-7 minutes. The servers were nice, The food was good and the experience was wonderful. It was good to eat a Caribbean food with people that really enjoy this piece of Puerto Rico in Chicago. Order the mofongo, immerse yourself in a culinary adventure. Be open minded and enjoy! Latin food is more than tacos and burritos y'all. The price was reasonable. The experience overall was very good. read more

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Omg omg this place is awesome! Everything was amazing and out of this world I cannot wait to go again. Honestly I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Everything was good.... read more

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This restaurant has some of the best Puerto Rican food around. I got the steak and onions with rice and sweet plantains. I ate everything!! And I never finish all of my food. I try to eat this food whenever i can and whenever i get to i savor every bite lol. read more

I love this place I have been coming for a while food is consistently good. highly recommend

I agree with a previous yelper. The food here used to be excellent back when they where in the smaller location. But in the new restaurant , the wait time for pickup is ridiculous. I realize that at a busy establishment the staff is rushed, but customer service is not good. We had jibaritos which where good. I will say they serve you giant portions. One jibarito with arroz and gandules can easily be split amongst two people. Dont wear anything to the restaurant you dont want smelling of garlic later. We will ty again soon . read more

Ponce Restaurant - Puerto Rican Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We usually went to the previous,small location.. a little bit dirty - I found a hair once in my food and they were nice enough to take care of us by not charging for the entire order. so of course we had to try their new location. the food was good as always, no complaints there BUT the customer service was NOT, they were not very friendly and we had to ask for napkins & silverware. Since they didn't ask if we wanted something to drink I figured they would bring us water... Nope ! Next time we'll probably order for pick up :/ Don't get me wrong, the food is Mmm Mmm good :) read more

Because of all of the Covid precautions we waited over an hour but it was well worth the wait as soon as we sat down we ordered the pacha a drink that everyone was ordering . So refreshing we ordered appetizers, pastel, alcapurrias ,sorullo they all came quick and disappeared from my plate so good. I ordered the mixta de lechón and mofongo both were a little dry. The white rice and the habichuelas were OMG so amazingly delicious. My husband is very critical of food and he was the first to say we are coming back this is now our go to place he had the steak jibarito with arroz con gandules and loved every bite he had a clean plate he devoured it. read more

Awesome food!! I'm only giving a 4 because the day I went to eat they had live music, it was just way to loud. I thought my ears were going to start bleeding. It was really great food, it did took me back home, Puerto Rico. My top favorite is carne frita con mofongo y clado. Regardless of your favorite... it's going to be great. Appetizers are a most, my pick is alcapurrias yummy!! read more

The food did not tasted like Puerto Rican food. The churrasco was super salty. I do not recommend this place.

I don't know why I gave them another try after they screwed up my order last year. I ordered lechon, rice, and other things for Christmas Dinner. My pick up time was 2 pm. I was in line for over 2 hours (in the freezing cold because the line was a block long) only to be told that they ran out of lechon and a few other things that I already had ordered and paid for weeks before!! Then I had to wait another hour to get a reimbursement!! 3 hours in that unorganized hot mess of a restaurant just to go home with the money they took from me in less than 10 seconds. I had nothing for Christmas Eve dinner. NOTHING! They completely screwed up our Christmas Eve. They were unapologetic and didn't even care. They did this to at least 50 families that night and could care less that they dropped the ball. I am surprised that a riot didn't break out. People were shouting and demanding answers but not one person took the responsibility for the chaotic and unorganized system they had going on. The owner was there chatting away with a friend and didn't even give a crap that customers were unhappy. She got her money for the day so no skin off her nose. NEVER, EVER AGAIN! read more

Stay away. The restaurant interior is in poor condition. Food is not properly cooked, presented poorly and has nothing to do with the Puerto Rican tradition. Their music system is ridiculous. Instead of playing Salsa music from a saved playlist, the tv screen was showing YouTube videos. Some of the videos were repetitive, as we know how YouTube operates. The workers not represent the spirit of humble, proud and spiritually elated Puerto Ricans. I felt I was visiting poor restaurant that is located in the hood on Fullerton Ave. I do not recommend this place. It stinks. read more